The story of Payton's birth

As we were getting ready for Payton's 1st birthday last week, I found myself getting very nostalgic and emotional.  Throughout my pregnancy I wrote letters to her, so last week I went through all of them.  Here are a couple letters that I wrote.  The first one was written on the day she was born, and the second one was written a couple days after.

August 7, 2009

Dear Baby,
Happy Birthday!! You made your grand entrance to this world at 2:53 this afternoon. We are so in love with you!!! I can’t stop staring at you – you are so perfect. We have named you Payton Ann. I think it’s so pretty. Ann is after your Grandma Allspach’s middle name. She and Grandpa hurried to hospital as soon as they found out I was in labor. They and Grandma Creighton and Aunt Carrie were able to meet you right after you were born. You’ve had a big day – it’s tough work being born! I should get some rest now, but I just want to cuddle with you. I think we’ll have lots of time for that though. I love you so much!!! Welcome to the world, Payton Ann!!


August 9, 2009

Dear Payton Ann,
It is 9:00 on Sunday morning. I am lying in my hospital bed adoring you lying in the bassinet at the front of my bed. Your daddy ran home to shower, so I thought I’d write you a letter. Two days ago you entered this world and made your daddy and I the luckiest, proudest, most blessed parents. Neither one of us knew how much one person could fill our lives with so much joy. You are absolutely perfect. I wanted to tell you all about the day you were born, so here is your birth story:
On Thursday afternoon (August 6), I had a routine doctor visit. I saw Dr. Gessner and she measured my belly. It measured a bit small (36 cm), so she ordered an ultrasound to make sure the amniotic fluid level was ok. We did the ultrasound, and everything looked fine. I was only dilated at 1 cm, so I thought it might be at least a week before your arrival.
After the appointment, I went out to the Regency (where your daddy and I had our wedding reception) to a breastfeeding clinic. When I got home, your daddy was fixing chicken on the grill. During supper, your Grandma Allspach called to see how the appointment went. While your daddy was talking to her, I remember starting to feel some contractions. These lasted throughout the evening, but I just thought they were Braxton Hicks contractions. I’d had these contractions for about the last two months of my pregnancy, so I didn’t think anything of them. I went to bed around 10 PM and woke up around 2 AM with some pretty strong contractions. This time I thought they were the real thing. Your daddy timed them, and they were coming about every 10 minutes. Just when I would fall back asleep, another contraction would come. Finally around 6 AM we decided to go to the hospital. I waited as long as possible because I wasn’t sure if this was false labor.
When we got to the hospital, they hooked me up to the monitors and checked me. I was still only 1 cm dilated. Dr. McCarville was on call. He said that they would keep me hooked up to the monitors for a couple hours and see if I progressed. If not, then they would send me home and I would have to labor some more at home. Around 10 AM, the nurse checked me and said, “Oh, you’re not going anywhere! You are having a baby today!”  I was dilated to 4 cm!
Then everything started moving fast. Dr. McCarville broke my water, they gave me an IV to take the edge off, and then the anesthesiologist came in to give me my epidural. I was really scared about this part, but it wasn’t bad at all. Once all this was done, Grandma and Grandpa Allspach were able to come into my room to visit for a little while. Grandpa would look at the monitor that was tracking my contractions and say, “Oh, here comes one…it’s a big one!” I couldn’t feel a thing! It was wonderful!
It was time for Grandma and Grandpa to say good-bye for awhile so the nurse could check me. I was fully dilated, so it was go-time. By this time, Dr. McCarville was off and Dr. Gessner was on call. I started pushing around 1:30. This part was exhausting, but not really painful. Your daddy held my hand the entire time and was such a good supporter. Your heartrate started to drop, so after what seemed to be forever, Dr. Gessner decided that she was going to use the vacuum extractor. Your head was out, and then Dr. Gessner told your daddy to come finish. The look on his face was priceless! His eyes were as big as saucers. He was a bit hesitant, but she insisted that he pull you out, so that is just what he did. Now he can tell everyone that he delivered his daughter!
They placed you on my chest, and I immediately burst into tears of joy. You were absolutely perfect! So pretty! And all that dark hair! Your daddy and I were overjoyed! Words can’t explain the feeling I had the day I gave birth to you. I love you so much, Payton Ann Pietig! You are only two days old, and have already filled my life and your daddy’s life with so much joy. We are so excited to bring you home this afternoon and start our life as a family of three!

"When they placed you in our arms, you slipped into our hearts..."